The civilians of the Gaza Strip cannot afford to pay the price of Hamas aggression which exposes them to death and destruction on a terrifying scale. The civilians of Israel cannot also be expected to run to bomb shelters on a daily basis and live in constant fear of unannounced aerial bombardment. The innocent civilians, moderates and children of Israel and Gaza are the victims of unacceptable extremism on both sides. Scant coverage is given to the fact that Abbas and Netanyahu exhausted all efforts to avoid this catastrophic escalation of violence but both have been cornered by the activities of extreme nationalists in their camps.The current crisis in Israel / Gaza is a two sided affair. Opinions are generally polarized with each side and even their moderate supporters commenting in an increasingly partisan fashion. Partisan Commentary by Both Sides: Palestinian supporters post images of bombed out domestic dwellings, civilian deaths, mass panic after receiving 60 second “dud rocket warnings” / “knock on the roof” bombing techniques (see Israeli ‘knock on the roof’ bombing technique caught on film (VIDEO) below) and in particular the deadly consequences of the Israeli bombardment for the children of Gaza. Israeli supporters post images of rocket intercepts, burned out cars hit by Hamas rockets, allegations that Hamas are targeting a nuclear reactor and images of firefighters battling gas station blazes caused by short range rocket attacks which were not intercepted by the Israeli “Iron Dome” missile defence system.(VIDEO) IDF “knock on the roof” bombing technique: The IDF practice of firing a missile at a civilian home to warn the occupants to leave the building before a larger attack, has been caught on film. Amnesty International has decried “roof knocking” saying it in no way constitutes an “effective warning”. A YouTube video uploaded on Saturday shows how a Palestinian house in Samir Nofal is struck by a warning hit before being destroyed about a minute later by a full missile attack. Prior to the strike the occupants of the building reportedly received a call from the IDF, warning of an imminent attack. Amnesty International has condemned the “knock on the roof” technique in an appeal to the UN to investigate possible violations by Hamas and the IDF during Operation Protective Edge.

Comparison with the Crisis of 2012: In the worst violence since 2012 Hamas continues to fire hundreds of rockets into Israel. Operation Protective Edge – the Israeli response – continues to bombard targets throughout Gaza including, highly controversially, the private dwellings of suspected Hamas leaders with the inevitable consequences for those living close by. The map below is a Haaretz analysis of the 2012 crisis – the current crisis has already far exceeded the statistics in this info-graphic in a matter of days.

Weaponry & Response Comparison: It is clear to all impartial observers that the response of a first world military organization will be far more deadly than the acts of terrorism which have provoked it. The Hamas arsenal is made up of short range rockets albeit with lethal consequences when targets are hit. The Israeli arsenal is a complex mix of highly effective and brutally destructive state of the art guided munitions capable of being deployed from land, sea and air platforms.

While the info-graphic below draws conclusions from the death toll attributed to each sides arsenal in 2012 the fact is that the provocative acts, whether based on genuine grievances or not, have produced a far deadlier effect for the civilians of Gaza – a sacrifice that Hamas appears to be willing to let their fellow countrymen absorb.

(VIDEO) Israeli Moderate Ari Shavit Speaks of Extreme Consequences: Ari Shavit, senior correspondent for Ha’aretz, says serious and potentially apocalyptic escalation between Israel and Hamas may be imminent and blames “extreme Jewish nationalists” who have been acting in a “very violent way for a long time” for forcing “moderates” on both sides into an unwanted escalation. More from CNN at http://www.cnn.com/

(VIDEO) The Iron Dome: The Iron Dome is Israel’s anti-missile defence system that, it is claimed, has had a nearly 90 per cent success rate in intercepting potentially deadly rockets from Gaza. The Iron Dome was designed and built by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in 2011. It’s aim is to intercept potentially deadly rockets aimed at the Israeli territories. There are seven missile batteries placed around Israel firing 10ft long projectiles to intercept rockets fired on Israeli territories. The missiles have a range of between 2.5 and 43 miles.Each missile fired costs $50,000. Israel has invested in excess of $1 billion into the Iron Dome. The US has also pumped $235 million towards the project this year alone.